Signal assembly



Get. 21, 1952 DIEBQLD 2,615,084

SIGNAL ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 25, 1950 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR. ANTOND/EbO D ATTORLIEY Oct. 21, 1952 A. DIEBOLD I 2,615,034

SIGNAL ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 25, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 5 1mm 2 III 3Mllllll I N VEN TOR. AN TON DIE BOLD AT TORNE Y Patented Oct. 21, 1952Amen Dfebold; New "York, N. Y., assignor tdThe .l' Marb'elite "Company,Inc.,""New "York (Bounty,

Application Februai-y 25, 195 Serial -No.146,371

'Tl This invention. pertains. to a. .signal assembly and it.isanohjectithereoflto. providea reflector ring suspended inanovelmannenwithin-a-signal .housing .in a way'Tthatitisautomaticallyselfadjusting .for prop rly .pos'ition'ingl-lthe. reflector within thesignal. assembly.

A further object. of the invention is toprovide .a signal assemblyhaving a novel means forpivotally mounting .a reflector ring. withinv asignal .housing with the. reflector. ringhaving. means fo constantly.urging said. reflector .ring... in a -;-given direction forfrictionally holding. said reflector ring. in engagement withstopmembers for. automatically positioning and. holding. said reflector ringand itsrefiector inapredetermined position when the reflector ring ismoved into its operative position.

1 A further object of the inventionis to provide a housing for a signalassembly whichhas means formed therein to have a reflector ring.pivotally mounted .for horizontal rotation therein and with means formaintaining said reflector ring in a predeterminedoperativeposition-after the reflector ring hasbeenurged into said operativeposition.

. Further and other objects of theinvention may becomgapparenttoonefskilled .in the art, and it is to baunderstoodthatchangesandmodificationsmay'be madeher-ein without departing from.the spirit of thesubjoined claims.

Throughout the specificationlike. reference characters pertain. .to.like. parts.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is-a complete view of a signal assembly.

Fig. 2 is .a sectional view taken along lines 22 of Fig. l. V

.Fig. 3 is a.front view of the signal assembly with the door moved intoits ,open position.

Fig. 4 is an end view of thereflector ring disconnectedirom the housingto="-sho'wn the hinge means.- theref or.

Fig. 5. is a sectional view-taken along lines Fig. 6- is an end viewtaken from theqopposite end of; that shown in Fig. 4-,-substantially.along lines 66 of Fig. 3, to accentuate the frictional grip means of thereflector ring for holding same engaged within the housing.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the spring hinge Fig. 10 is a sectionalview taken along lines ill-l0 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is a partial sectional view of the lens holding means.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along lines |2|2 of Fig. 3.

Fig-.13 .isa. perspectiveviewofithe .sockethold- .ing. spring.

. Referring to the drawings, there-is .shownia ..s ignal. assembly" fhaving, a.housing. 2| With..a

.door 22. hinged to the housing by hinges 23.

i A glass reflector 2 4. has .a rubberannulangasket which fitsaboutthe1ens1'24-andisheld in place bymetallic-grips 26 and screws21.,w-hieh are connectedto. the rearrof. the door .as. shown in Fig. 3.p g a .The reflector. ring. 28 .has arhingepin. .29..in.a

.hinge-boss 3|! which-hinge pin will .s1ide..into.=.a

hinge pin :hole formed ;in the complemental. boss 3| of .the housing.2|. The lower..pivoting.means of the reflector ring is the spring hinge.-.pinl,32

- shown in Fig. 9. .A recess 33 'fonnedinthespring hinge pin-boss. 34.is adapted to .receivethe .spring .hinge pin-32 whichzhasa loop..end--35..thereof =.-a hole in the boss 38 f0rmedinthe lower portionofthe housing.

An upper shoulderxandx a lower shoulder 39.and

respectively. are. formed-onfthe reflector; ring a .and engage the upperboss4| and thelowerboss 44 formed in the housing 2|.

.- The lower connection. of the spring .hinge, pin

.32 is: clearly shown in .a. sectional view. of,-Fi g,. 3,

whiletheupperspring hinge-:3 Land its pivotal relation with the housingis clearly shown-in Fig. 10.

The upper shoulder and lower shoulder-3 Band 40 respectively terminatein inclinedssurfaces fl and-43. (Fig. '6) which-engage their.complemental .underneath 'flat surfaceof the upper.-and.lower portionsrespectively.

From. the: foregoingritwwillz be .seen that when in-such a -way.:as toincrease the upward pressure of the. reflector ring. and thereafter the;hingapin 32 .is secured in its: desired-position by tightenin of thescrew 36. Therefore, there is provided an .upper and lowerpivotal urgefor the. reflector ring, with the reflector ring being constantly urgedupward. When it is desired to move the reflector ring to the closedposition shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the inclined surfaces 42 and 43 engagethe complemental flat edge of the bosses 4| and 44 formed in thehousing. Since the hinge pin 32 urges the reflector ring upwardly theupper inclined surface 42 will engage the boss 4| against the springaction of the spring hinge pin 32 as the reflector ring closes, and willthen urge the reflector ring downwardly as the inclined surface 42further engages its respective boss 4|. The frictional relationtherebetween holds these latter members secured to maintain thereflector ring in its closed position. A shoulder 45 acts as a limitingmeans against the boss 4| while a shoulder 46 on the lower shoulder 40engages the lower boss 44..to act as a limiting means for the reflectorring. It will be seen that while there is a rigid hinge means for thehinge pin 29 the opposing two limiting means provided by the shoulders45 and 46 permit the reflector ring to move into its desired closedposition under infiuence of the spring hinge 32.

It will be seen therefore that of the four point 1 contact by thereflector ring and the housing, two of the four points are frictionallyheld in sliding engagement while one of the contact points is a rigidpivotal mounting and the remaining or fourth contact point between thereflector ring and the housing is a resilient means.

The shoulder rim 4! of the reflector ring engages the annular gasket 25carried by the door of the signal assembly. The gasket 25 will be urgedagainst the front rim 47 of the reflector ring to urge said reflectorring into its closed or operative position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thereflector 48 has a rubber gasket 49 on the peripheral edge thereof whichengages the groove 50 in the reflector ring as shown in Fig. 7.

The door of the signal assembly has an annular ridge completelyencompassing the lens area which ridge 5| engages the gasket 52positioned in a complemental groove within the front edge of the housing2| forming a complete seal thereabout.

The socket holding spring 53 shown in Fig. 13 has a loop 54 on one endthereof which is open so that it may be removably connected to theholding spring hinge 55 shown in Fig. 4, with the opposite end of thespring 53 having a handle portion 56 which may be moved from either thelatched or released positions 51 and 58 respectively. The purpose ofthis holding spring is to hold the socket 59 in engagement with thereflector when the holding spring 53 is in the I latched position.

A wing nut 60 is threadedly connected to a locking screw 6| which ispivotally mounted by a pin 62 in the shoulder 63 secured to the housing.

'the wing nut has secured it into position there will be a completeannular pressure engagement area between the rim 4! and the lens gasketcarried by the door consequently urging the reflector ring and holdingsame into its latched position.

Under influence of the spring hinge 32 the reflector ring will be urgedupwardly at all times, and will have pressure exerted against saidspring hinge pin 32 as the inclined surface of the upper shoulder ,39engages its complementing boss in the housing. The shoulders 45 and 46which act 'as limiting means permit the reflector ring to move to itspredetermined operative position within the housing.

It will be seen that the orienting means of the reflector ring may beurged into its operative position by simply closing the door of thesignal assembly, and that there will be an upward pressure on thereflector ring at all times due to the action of the spring hinge pin 32thereby providing a unique method of manufacture and assembly of lensorienting means of a signal assembly all of which is automaticallyattained by a simple closure of the signal assembly door.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. A trailic signal assembly having a housing, a door hingedly connectedto one edge of the housing, means for securing the edge opposite to thehinged'edge to said housing, a reflector ring having means for securinga reflector thereto, a pair of hinged means for pivotally mounting saidreflector'ring within said housing including a pin secured at oneportion of said reflector ring for pivotally engaging said housing, anda resilient pivotal means for securing an opposing part of saidreflector ring to the housing, slidably engaging means carried by saidreflector ring and said housing for frictionally holding said reflectorring within the signal assembly, said resilient pivotal means having aguide means therefor formed in said reflector ring to permit controlledadjustment of said resilient pivotal means.

2. A traffic signal having a pivotally mounted door on a housing andmeans for securing same in a locked position, a reflector orientingmeans comprising a reflector ring adapted to be pivotally mounted withinsaid housing, rigid pivotal pin means for movably connecting one portionof said reflector ring to said housing, resilient pin means forresiliently connecting an opposing portion of said reflector ring tosaid housing, adjustment means for adjusting the degree of resiliency oflast said pin means, and means for increasing the tensionof last'saidpin means upon closure of said door.

ANTON DIEBOLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,157,701 Kratz Oct. 26, 19151,706,836 Arbuckle Mar. 26, 929 2,220,820 Kundsen Nov. 5, 1940 2,280,275Young Apr. 21, 1942

